• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • First Time Here?
    • Archive
    • London Blogs
  • Blog
  • Travel
    • London Theater Tickets
    • Shopping
    • Tips
    • Tours
    • Transport
    • Maps
    • Parks
    • Resources
    • Restaurants
    • Top 10 London
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Buildings
    • Food
    • London Books
    • Movies
    • Museums
    • Music
    • Pubs
  • Londonism
    • Reviews
    • Fun London
    • Iconic London
    • Life in London
    • London Realities
    • Moving to London
    • Politics
  • The Tube
  • London History
    • Great London Buildings
    • Great Londoners
  • Contact
  • Guidebooks
    • 101 London Travel Tips – Guidebook
    • 101 Free Things to do in London

Londontopia

The Website for People Who Love London

You are here: Home / London News / Wacky racers descend on Alexandra Palace for soapbox challenge

Wacky racers descend on Alexandra Palace for soapbox challenge

Jul 4, 2022 By Londontopia Staff Leave a Comment

Amateur racers from around the world have donned wacky costumes to take part in Red Bull’s Soapbox Race.

Thousands of spectators descended on Alexandra Palace in London on Sunday to witness the event on its return to UK since 2019.

The 67 teams of amateur drivers and crews were tasked with creating homemade non-motorised soapboxes to race on the steep downhill course.

Red Bull Soapbox race
Participants during the Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace in London (Jonathan Brady/PA)

One team called Rookie Duckies traveled from Lancashire to take part in the race for the first time with their soapbox called Quack-In-A-Box.

It was inspired by the concept of a jack-in-the-box with a giant duck on a spring and the team members dressed up as a duck and a huge egg.

Melanie Heyworth, Rookie Duckies pilot, told the PA news agency: “We haven’t a clue what we’re doing but we’re here for the laughs.

Red Bull Soapbox race
Around 70 teams of amateur drivers took part (Jonathan Brady/PA)

“We wanted a design that would make people smile, so general silliness, over-the-top costumes and lots of colors were our main objectives.”

“The teams have been great – lots of support, lots of camaraderie.”

Each team consisted of four people – which included one driver, one co-driver and two pit crew.

Participants were judged on their creativity, speed and showmanship with a star judging panel made up of professional BMX-er Kriss Kyle, Red Bull break-dancer Sunni, presenter Elz the Witch, and the motorcycle collective, VC London.

Many of the crews were inspired by their favorite TV shows and fictional characters from films including Top Gun, Harry Potter and Ghostbusters.

One team called The Handsome Homers included a large doughnut on their bright pink soapbox, called the Pink Lightning, inspired by The Simpsons.

The crew crashed on the first jump as their whole vehicle “exploded”.

Red Bull Soapbox race
Each Soapbox vehicle is unique and inspired by TV shows or fictional characters from films (Jonathan Brady/PA)

“This is our third year doing the Red Bull Soapbox event and we really enjoy it,” Dan, one of The Handsome Homers, told the PA news agency.

“I think we are starting to build a theme of crashing on the first jump which is exactly what we did in 2019 and exactly what we did this year.

“We went over that first jump, nose-hit the ground, the whole thing exploded – polystyrene and pieces of car went everywhere… And we had to pull the entire thing down the hill just like we did in 2019.”

Another team called Rebel Alliance, who are from Sherfield on Loddon, Hampshire, said they had been preparing their Star Wars-themed soapbox since 2018.

Called Rebel Alliance X Wing, it had four wings which crossed in an X formation, and the team dressed in Star Wars-themed costumes, including Storm Trooper outfits.

Red Bull Soapbox race
One crew dressed as pigeons for the race (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Team member Hayley Claughton, 42, told PA: “Performing in front of cameras, our family and friends is nerve-wracking but very exciting.

“Our soapbox has been in the making since 2018 but Covid got in the way.

“We all loved the Red bull Soapbox competition and figured after so much time apart with lockdown it would be a great project for our three families to work on.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a dream of ours.”

Meanwhile, Team Oral Health, attempted to clean up on the track in their vehicle promoting good dental hygiene, racing in a toothpaste-shaped soapbox called You Know The Drill.

Dressed in scrubs with blue gloves and armed with toothbrushes, they are a team of dentists and hoped to encourage people to floss.

The day ended with team Go Go Gadget Soapbox being crowned the overall winners of event for their soapbox inspired by the animated television series, Inspector Gadget.

Londontopia Staff
Author: Londontopia Staff

This article was submitted and adapted by Londontopia Staff and used with a license from the Press Association UK (PA Media). All images and content used with permission.

close

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Pocket

Filed Under: London News, Weird London

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

About Londontopia Staff

This article was submitted and adapted by Londontopia Staff and used with a license from the Press Association UK (PA Media). All images and content used with permission.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Get the Anglotopia/Londontopia App

Our Advertisers

If you are a mobile gamer, you may want to take a look at UK’s new mobile casinos and slots reviewed by NewCasinoUK.

Join the London Forum

  • MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN LONDON
  • What's Your Favorite Place in London?
  • Paddington Station

London Guide

  • London’s Non-Free Museums: Your Guide to London’s Museums That Charge Admission
  • Trip Planning: Top 10 Exhibitions To Plan Your 2018 Trips to London Around
  • London Guide: Our Favorite Restaurants in London – London Restaurant Recommendations for Americans – What’s Your Favorite?

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Support Londontopia

Search our Extensive Archive

Top 10 London

  • Ten Unusual Exhibits to See in London
  • London Pubs: Ten Thameside Pubs for a Pint and a View
  • Top 10 London: Ten More Things to Do Along the River Thames
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Shopping Centers in London
  • Museums of London: Ten Overlooked London Museums
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haggerston
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haringey
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Redbridge
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Hillingdon
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to Do in Canonbury

Recent Posts

  • Iron Throne erected outside Tower of London to mark House Of The Dragon launch
  • Buckingham Palace Summer Opening 2022 Report
  • First new West End theatre in 50 years to open
  • Stunning diamond pieces from Queen’s jewelry collection to go on display at Buckingham Palace
  • Lucian Freud: Family Matters at Freud Museum London
  • Dementia charity to make giant scarf to wrap around Royal Albert Hall
  • Ceremonial guards withdrawn from positions in the midday sun as London baked at over 40C (104F)
  • Owen Teale to play Scrooge at The Old Vic this Christmas
  • Living chess set featuring 32 actors turns heads at London’s ChessFest
  • London’s Design Museum to explore story of Surrealism in landmark exhibition

Best Posts on Londontopia

  • 101 London Travel Tips
  • Top 100 London Attractions
  • How to Find the Cheapest Airfares to London
  • 10 Things NOT to do in London
  • Best London Guidebooks
  • 101 Free Things to do in London
  • London Lingo – A London Word Dictionary
  • Top 7 Tips for Doing London on the Cheap
  • Top 11 Myths American Believe about London
  • Guide to Eating in London
  • Best Times of Year to Travel to London
  • London Packing Tips
  • Top 11 Movies Set in London
  • Top Attractions off the Tourist Track
  • Top 5 Most Amazing London Hotels
  • Top 10 Hostels in London
  • Best Views in London Restuarants
  • London Taxi Ettiquette
  • Top 12 London Views
  • Great Fire of London
  • A Guide to Five of London’s Bridges
  • 10 Random Facts and Figures about Trafalgar Square
  • Top 100 British Slang Words

London Places to Explore

Bloomsbury Buckingham Palace Canary Wharf City of London Covent Garden Cutty Sark Greenwich Hampstead Hampton Court Palace Heathrow Houses of Parliament Hyde Park Imperial War Museum Islington Kensington Kensington Palace Leicester Square London London Eye London Transport Museum Museum of London National Gallery Notting Hill Piccadilly Circus Putney Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Regent's Street Royal Academy Selfridges Somerset House Southbank Southwark St Pancras St Paul's Cathedral Tate Britain Tate Modern The City Tower Bridge Tower of London Trafalgar Square V&A Wandsworth West End Westminster Westminster Abbey

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Recent Videos

Walk Around London Virtually Right Now – Watched Walker is the YouTube Channel We All Need Right Now

Jason Hawkes Shares a Beautiful Video of London From Above That We All Need Right now

London Tube: You’ve Got to Watch This Amazing Mesmerizing Animation That Shows the Real Geography of the London Underground

Video: The Basics of Crossrail – London’s New Underground Line

London History: The Place Where Old London Double Decker Buses Went to Die

London Video: A Look at the Great Smog of London

Tube Histories: A Brief History of the Jubilee Line

London Alert: Announcing Our latest book – London Tube 101 – History, Culture, and Travel on London’s Transport Network

Tube Histories: A Brief History of Docklands Light Railway

London Alert: Passengers told to avoid Tube on Monday during 24-hour RMT strike

Tube Histories: A Brief History of the District Line

It’s a hit! More than one million journeys were made on new central section of the Elizabeth line

Footer

About Londontopia

Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!

When We’re in London Next

We don’t currently have any travel plans to London but hope to visit at some point in 2021.

  • SEO Backlinks
  • Travel Blog

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Copyright © 2022 Anglotopia, LLC · Website Developed by Anglotopia, LLC · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.